Good EDC flashlights?

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Memento_Mori

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Been looking at a fenix pd35, but wanted some input on what the best or better edc lights are? I keep seeing reylight pop up here and there, and a few others, but i know nothing about flashlights.
 
Memento_Mori said:
Been looking at a fenix pd35, but wanted some input on what the best or better edc lights are? I keep seeing reylight pop up here and there, and a few others, but i know nothing about flashlights.
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I have a PD35 and I like it. For EDC I usually carry a smaller light that uses a single CR123, the PD25. There are a lot of good lights in the range of the PD35, depending on what brand and features you like. Fenix is actually kind of a "value brand" among the mainstream brands.
 
The PD35 is a great light, but I prefer something smaller for EDC. My current favorite is the LD30. The LD30 has a little more spill than the PD35 and plenty of throw for EDC. I’ve been using Fenix flashlights for over 15yrs and they all still work.
As bdmicarta suggested, the PD25 is also a great EDC.

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I'd start with picking what size you want, so AA, CR123, or 18650. Each has it's advantages. After that, how much blast do you want? The reputable brands are all using basically the same LEDs just with different control chips and features (like button locations and modes). Most of the fenix lights are good value for the dollar, where the other brands get more performance for more dollars. The main thing to remember is that there are only so many watts of power in a battery, so no matter the engineering, the difference should only be minor, unless it's marketing.
 
Your phone?

Otherwise I quite like the nitecore mt2ic.

Still a bit of a chunky monkey. But it can ride in a pocket.

But it has a 90° flip top head and a magnet base. Which I have found super handy for hands free lighting.

I had to reverse my car in the dark the other day. Used the torch as a reverse light. Worked well.

It does come with a hippy mace option and so you can do robins revenge with it.
 
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bdmicarta said:
I have a PD35 and I like it. For EDC I usually carry a smaller light that uses a single CR123, the PD25. There are a lot of good lights in the range of the PD35, depending on what brand and features you like. Fenix is actually kind of a "value brand" among the mainstream brands.
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Honestly, I just want something big enough and bright enough to use as a "Weapon Light". Since what I carry doesnt have a WML. But i dont want to go into 100+ territory unless its atleadt assembled in the US at a minimum. Just personal preference.

gadgetgeek said:
I'd start with picking what size you want, so AA, CR123, or 18650. Each has it's advantages. After that, how much blast do you want? The reputable brands are all using basically the same LEDs just with different control chips and features (like button locations and modes). Most of the fenix lights are good value for the dollar, where the other brands get more performance for more dollars. The main thing to remember is that there are only so many watts of power in a battery, so no matter the engineering, the difference should only be minor, unless it's marketing.
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Honestly, I lean towards 18650 since they usually have higher lumen outputs.
 
Memento_Mori said:
Honestly, I lean towards 18650 since they usually have higher lumen outputs.
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I like them too and run them in my PD32 and PD35. Those lights will certainly run with a pair of CR123 and I sometimes carry spares of those although I can go for a week of camping and barely put a dent into one of the 18650 cells. I mentioned the PD25 which runs with a single CR123. After buying it I discovered that it would provide higher output with a rechargeable version of the CR123 (I don't remember the number for that.) So yes rechargeable is the way to go for maximum output. My newest is a Fenix PD36R which is just a touch fatter than the PD35 but it contains a 21700 battery which is just a bit larger diameter than the 18650. Google says the PD36R is on sale right now for $100 from Fenix. I haven't priced it from other places.
 
im surprised no one has recommended the single aaa non usb streamlight microstream..i use an energizer lithium battery in mine it weighs 29 grams and amazing how bright it is for its size its also not overly priced i have seen them on amazon for $16.. its my go to edc light
 
My daily carry flashlight is an Acebeam Pokelit AA. I run a 14500 rechargeable battery in it. I charge it once a month, use it almost every night, and it never fails me.
Good blend of floody and beam. On high it will completely light up everything within about a 40 foot distance, though the beam will carry considerably farther. Medium does almost as well. Love the double direction clip and the small size.

I've use
 
Memento_Mori said:
Honestly, I just want something big enough and bright enough to use as a "Weapon Light". Since what I carry doesnt have a WML. But i dont want to go into 100+ territory unless its atleadt assembled in the US at a minimum. Just personal preference.


Honestly, I lean towards 18650 since they usually have higher lumen outputs.
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Let us know which one you finally choose and why
 
Surefire backup MV is awesome light, and Surefire defender single battery model. I've had one of these lights in my pocket for past 5 years everyday. Built like tanks! I'm honestly wanting to try the Surefire aviator with red just to scratch a flashlight itch. 😁 o and maybe one of those flat flashlights everyone is coming out with....
 
I got a PD35 nearly a decade ago. I loved it. I only got a few years out of it before it went on the fritz, but I blame myself, as I was super rough with it, basically abused it.

I then purchased an Olight M2T Warrior. Found it super heavy compared to Fenix, so didn't carry it much (and by super heavy I mean an ounce more). Otherwise it's a great light. I repurposed it to being a bike light, and it has done four or five years of that for me now, and still going strong, though I have had some finicky tail switch function lately. It used to be I could partial press the tail switch to toggle turbo, and the light would extinguish when I released. Now I have to press harder and by the time the light is on, it has clicked on, and I have to click it again to turn it off. Not a big deal. I typically used the side button for it anyway.

What I carry for EDC is a Klarus XT2 C at home. I've had this one for six years. The thumb switch started going on the fritz three years ago, right around the end of the warranty. It stopped working altogether and I bought a new one, slightly upgraded model. That one is what I carry when I leave the house, but I still carry the fritzy one at home, because after the new one arrived, I gave it one more try before I would toss it out, and when I tightened the rear cap the light flickered on for a split second. I thought no way it's dead if it will do that, so I thought to try stretching out the battery contact coil a bit. It worked. The light functions, but not properly. I can partial press and hold the tail switch (the only switch on the light) to toggle turbo consistently, which is fine and all I really need it to do. But if I try to click it on, which used to work just fine, it will click and activate in turbo, then immediately when I release my thumb and hear the second click, it turns off... sometimes. Other times not. So I just make a point to keep that as my at home EDC light, and have trained myself to only rely on it as a partial hold and toggle light. The newer one that I carry away from home still does everything it's supposed to.

I have also been thinking of a new light lately, to replace Fritzy. It's not an emergency yet.
 
William Duncan said:
Surefire backup MV is awesome light, and Surefire defender single battery model. I've had one of these lights in my pocket for past 5 years everyday. Built like tanks! I'm honestly wanting to try the Surefire aviator with red just to scratch a flashlight itch. 😁 o and maybe one of those flat flashlights everyone is coming out with....
Click to expand...
Surefire is a place you can call if you need parts like a pocket clip. That can save your bacon.
 
For me an EDC light needs a durable clip, runs with a rechargeable AAA, AA battery or regular CR123A battery. It needs to have about three modes a tailcap button and have some texture so it's not too slippery to hold.
 
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